Rub rails are conventionally provided on boats and ships, where a rub rail is usually installed along an outside upper edge of the hull and around the bow and stem. The rub rail functions to protect the hull when the boat or ship bumps against an object such as the sides of a wharf where the boat or ship is docking. Rub rails can be fabricated from wood, where the wood is crafted to fit a particular boat or ship. Because of the large expense of using wood, many rub rails, in particular replacement rub rails, are made of stainless steel, aluminum, and vinyl.
Stainless steel rub rails provide maximum durability and are desirable because of their decorative appearance. Traditionally, stainless steel capped rub rails have been reserved for higher-end boats, as rub rails incorporating stainless steel generally are more expensive than vinyl rub rails provided either with or without flexible vinyl inserts. Stainless steel trims used today typically are solid, dome-shaped cross sections or hollow-back crescent shapes, which are highly polished for maximizing aesthetics. One or both of these shapes are available from metals manufacturers or distributors in a “pre-drilled and countersunk” form, which speeds installation by saving the installer the need to drill holes in the metal trim.
Regardless of the shape of metal trim to be used, the installation begins with the application of an extruded polymer base having a bottom surface shape to fit the shape of the deck or hull of a boat, and a top surface shape with an opening to accept the metal trim or insert. This base extrusion can be an extruded rigid or semi-rigid polymer. The conventional installation procedure is a two-step process. First, the rigid base is affixed to the gunwale (e.g., deck or hull) of the boat with screws. Next, metal trim, such as stainless steel trim, is bent around the gunwale onto the polymer base and screwed to the base using stainless steel screws. If more than one piece of rub rail base is employed to cover the gunwale, care must be taken that any butt joints in the base do not line up with butt joints of multiple pieces of the trim. Thus, installation can be an arduous, time-consuming process requiring a skilled installer who must carefully plan the installation.
An example of an extruded rub rail is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,349,662 to Limansky et al., in which an extruded insert is made from a plastic material and attached by screws to an extruded molding trim. U.S. Pat. No. 6,349,662 is incorporated by reference herein. According to Limansky et al., the insert is covered by a strip-like portion fabricated from a clear transparent material, which encapsulates a metallic-like strip made of MYLAR or a similar material. The metallic-like strip provides a decorative outer appearance. In Limansky et al., the molding trim and insert are configured such that the molding trim will initially contact any outside object. The molding trim includes free end portions which extend in a plane above the insert, thus shielding the insert. However, in most installations, it would be desirable for the insert to extend above the base or molding trim, so that the insert can absorb any blow from an object.
Another example of a rub rail is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,863,009 to Driver, in which a center member is formed above a base strip. U.S. Pat. No. 6,863,009 is incorporated by reference herein. According to Driver, the center member is formed from a more rigid material than the base strip, where the center member can be made of KEVLAR, MYLAR, or stainless steel. The center member includes fasteners for clipping onto the base strip, instead of the threaded attachment required in other rub rails. A second embodiment disclosed in Driver utilizes a protruding rib on the center member to engage a groove in the base strip. In Driver, some type of fastener is-required to attach the center member to the base strip.
It would be desirable to provide a rub rail having a self-contained metal trim which is made integral with a base. It would also be desirable to incorporate the metal trim during an extrusion step in the manufacturing process. Further, it would be desirable to simplify a procedure for installing the rub rail on a boat or ship. The rub rail and manufacturing and installation methods should overcome the deficiencies of presently available rub rails and methods.